Quote

The United Nations has long recognised that the imagination, ideals and energies of young men and women are vital for the continuing development of the societies in which they live. And since its inception in 1948, AIESEC has contributed to this development by serving as an agent of positive change trough education and cultural exchange.

Kofi Annan

Change background

T
T
T

Change font

TAGS & TOPICS

Kofi Annan
Age: 80 †
Born: 1938
Born: April 8
Died: 2018
Died: August 18
Diplomat
Economist
Politician
Coomassie
Kofi Atta Annan
Annan
Kofi A. Annan
Live
Education
Vital
Inception
Long
Since
Serving
Recognised
Men
Nations
Agents
Contributed
United
Cultural
Energies
Energy
Ideals
Agent
Change
Positive
Exchange
Young
Development
Societies
Women
Imagination
Continuing
Trough

More quotes by Kofi Annan

Image
I think the US and UK thought if they gave a bit more time to Israel, they would crush Hezbollah. But it became very obvious that was an unwinnable war.
Kofi Annan
Image
One has to have the strength of character to say the time has come to move on... unless you are a king.
Kofi Annan
Image
I was an ordinary boy at school, a young man. In fact, what did the headmaster once say? You're constantly challenging those in authority questioning and challenging those in authority. Which was not really the way I saw it. I felt there were questions that had to be answered, and things that weren't quite right.
Kofi Annan
Image
If you are neutral in a situation where one side is patently being mistreated, the conclusion is that you're siding with this wrong.
Kofi Annan
Image
A nation has the right to defend itself, but when it comes to the broader issue of peace and security, the legitimacy rests only with the Security Council.
Kofi Annan
Image
If our hopes of building a better and safer world are to become more than wishful thinking, we will need the engagement of volunteers more than ever.
Kofi Annan
Image
The world has lost a visionary leader, a courageous voice for justice, and a clear moral compass. By showing us that the path to freedom and human dignity lies in love, wisdom and compassion for one another, Nelson Mandela stands as an inspiration to us all.
Kofi Annan
Image
You are never too young to lead and you should never doubt your capacity to triumph where others have not.
Kofi Annan
Image
One of my biggest regrets was the fact that as an institution and an international community we could not stop the war in Iraq. That really was very difficult and very painful. Every fibre in my body felt it was wrong. I spoke to leaders, we spoke to people, we tried... we couldn't stop it... and we see the results.
Kofi Annan
Image
You can do a lot with diplomacy, but with diplomacy backed up by force you can get a lot more done.
Kofi Annan
Image
To live is to choose. But to choose well, you must know who you are and what you stand for, where you want to go and why you want to get there.
Kofi Annan
Image
I think what gives me hope is I have the sense that the people of Kenya have turned the page. They are keen to get a new political dispensation. They are keen to fight corruption and impunity, and in that sense they are leaving the political elite behind.
Kofi Annan
Image
Yehudi Menuhin was a citizen of the world in the fullest sense - one whose vision and culture gave him a deep empathy with fellow human beings of every creed and color.
Kofi Annan
Image
The report produced by my commission, the Global Commission on Elections, Democracy and Security, in 2012 showed the corrosive impact of money in US politics, for example, which undermines the legitimacy of the democratic system in citizens' eyes. Such perceptions partly explain the rise of a phenomenon like the success of Donald Trump.
Kofi Annan
Image
Young people must be included from birth. A society that cuts itself off from its youth severs its lifeline it is condemned to bleed to death.
Kofi Annan
Image
Education is, quite simply, peace-building by another name. It is the most effective form of defense spending there is.
Kofi Annan
Image
We knew the Syrian situation was complex and there were lots of divisions, particularly on the side of the opposition... This is a tough job... It can perhaps be done if you stand united and work with me in putting sustained pressure on the protagonists or the parties to come together and seek a political settlement.
Kofi Annan
Image
We must bring a message of solidarity, of mutual respect and, above all, of hope. Business cannot afford to be seen as the problem.
Kofi Annan
Image
You have to develop a certain healthy distance to allow you to keep a clear head, to be able to analyse the situation, lead your team, and move forward with them, because there are times if I'm not careful... if you get too involved, it will consume you it will consume you, and you will not be good to your team the issues you are dealing with.
Kofi Annan
Image
The question is the morning after. What sort of Iraq do we wake up to after the bombing? What happens in the region? What impact could it have? These are questions leaders I have spoken to have posed.
Kofi Annan